From a Las Vegas native's point of view

Great Food Truck Race-Las Vegas

Contestants for the TV Food Network will be around town this weekend vying for spots on the next season of Tyler Florence’s Great Food Truck Race.

We’re rooting for Cleveland’s Hodge Podge truck. They’ll be at the El Cortez today (Saturday 4/23) at 11:30 selling lobster, surf & turf and other goodies. Boston’s Roxy Grilled Cheese will be at the corner of Las Vegas Blvd and Garces. If you want to see what the buzz with these gourmet, rolling resturants is about, today is a good day to check it out.

Those food trucks we often see around Las Vegas construction sites have blown into a major food craze in cities like Los Angeles, New York and Chicago. We aren’t talking the “roach coaches” that have long been rolling around Vegas. These new food trucks-more like mini restaurants on wheels-are serving up high end gourmet food-to-go. Often owned and operated by young culinary graduates with a vision, these modern food trucks are sometimes a non-conventional gateway to financing their dream restaurant, and to have what is sure to be a lot of fun along the way.

Many of these food trucks have been responsible for sparking new food trends (Korean tacos from the Kogi food truck in Los Angeles are one of the most written about). Some have a huge loyal following of fans that follow the trucks wherever they may be parked on a given day. And a few get enough of a following and publicity that eventually earns the owners the backing they need to secure the financing for the restaurant of their dreams.

We just returned from the event. All of the trucks can be accessed from the entrance of the El Cortez on Fremont Street. Park at the main Fremont Street parking garage, just a 4 minute walk to the El Cortez from there. The weather is great this weekend and the lines aren’t long……must try: the Hodge Podge dog from Cleveland’s Hodge Podge Truck. The truffled ketchup and pear/dragon fruit tea rock!